I'm pretty happy at one. Me and my wife I go back on forth on a second. The thing that kills me are the first 3 months. No sleep.

Click to expand...

Again I salute you. I am self-admittedly addicted to sleep. But thankfully the right people in this world are having children. My mother confronted me at a very early age and was like "If I'm to be a grandmother it won't be because of you...."

Lesson learned. I am selfish. At the same time, I truly admire those of you who make the choice to have children. Your patience and understanding is a gift.

played a little tennis today. i had the "bbo nightmare". its been installed for 2 weeks, played 2 hours max with it and today it was a trampoline. i love it when fresh but unless i restring after every hit it is way too annoying.
dunno if i should restring often, bother with hybrid experiments, or just find a different string. i think PolyPlasma 16g would be good, but never used it. dunno if pure is that different... ayyiyi
sigh... darn u BBO!

Interesting discussion ladies. I honestly don't know, at the age of 36, which side describes me best. I've never felt my clock 'ticking' per say, but I'm also surrounded by children in my job. Now that I'm in my 'swan song' and looking to change careers I'm wondering if that is going to change.

I also sometimes think I'm way too selfish to have kids...there's so much more I want to do.

I always figured if the opportunity came that it would be a decision made by two people, and not just me. So, until that time comes...

played a little tennis today. i had the "bbo nightmare". its been installed for 2 weeks, played 2 hours max with it and today it was a trampoline. i love it when fresh but unless i restring after every hit it is way too annoying.
dunno if i should restring often, bother with hybrid experiments, or just find a different string. i think PolyPlasma 16g would be good, but never used it. dunno if pure is that different... ayyiyi
sigh... darn u BBO!

Again I salute you. I am self-admittedly addicted to sleep. But thankfully the right people in this world are having children. My mother confronted me at a very early age and was like "If I'm to be a grandmother it won't be because of you...."

Lesson learned. I am selfish. At the same time, I truly admire those of you who make the choice to have children. Your patience and understanding is a gift.

I love children...I'm just not cut out to be a mom

Click to expand...

I also salute you BPeeps. I respect people who are know they aren't cut out for kids and don't.

FWIW - my favorite uncle never had kids, but he was the best uncle in the world to all his nieces and nephews. Really he was sort of a second father to me and in some cases stood in for a father for some of my cousins.

I also salute you BPeeps. I respect people who are know they aren't cut out for kids and don't.

FWIW - my favorite uncle never had kids, but he was the best uncle in the world to all his nieces and nephews. Really he was sort of a second father to me and in some cases stood in for a father for some of my cousins.

Click to expand...

This. If anything, it's not selfish. Selfish is to have kids and then expect someone else to raise them. A nanny, a school teacher, a grandparent. That's not to say those folks can't be instrumental in the development of a child but it's all about what the parent does in/with the time they have. Sometimes I worry I don't spend enough "quality" time with my kids, that I'm so concerned with all the other (overwhelming) aspects of my duties running the house. But I wouldn't trade my time with them -- whether we're folding laundry together, putting away clean dishes or weeding the flower beds. I'd like to say I try to turn even the mundane exercises into learning ones, but it just ain't so. I'm not quite up to the whole home-schooling thing; I happen to be a big fan of public education. But you can bet your favorite racket that I'll be looking to supplement it as I see fit.

And never underestimate being a great Aunt (or Uncle). My oldest brother, his wife and my sister are childless...but absolutely terrific to my crew. It's the phone calls and emails and little gifts (both material and of time) that are so meaningful. My only wish would be that we all lived much closer but it is what it is and they do a great job, even from a distance.

Gotta get my groove back. Big in-house Club Challenge/Ladder match tomorrow night. Yesterday's loss still fresh in the mind but I'm trying to move on to the next opponents (who we only know marginally). They're mostly singles players but have recently beaten a decent pair so I'm looking for a bit of a match. This is the losers bracket, so it's win or go home...but I'm startin' to feel lucky again. Mojo has kinda been on vacation lately but it's time to check back in.

Yes yes..the ones you recommended! I can feel a huge difference just in the L2 of the Prestige Pro versus my L1 Babolats. It's funny, during the cardio tennis class on Saturday, I was talking with the instructor and he plays with an L2 and his hands are significantly bigger than mine (insert joke here). He was very intrigued that the pallets can be swapped in those racquets. I've also watched the video on youtube...it doesn't look that horrible. Plus, I plan on buying the Babolat Syntec grip (that's what's on my PDRs) because I like it.

No, no, no don't change the pallets like the Youtube video! That guy is trying to lop off a finger or two with that heat gun/hair dryer and knife dealio!

Much more even heat and effectiveness can be applied using hot water. Take a deep cup or container that can submerge most, if not all, the handle of your racquet. The Prestige handles are actually much shorter than the other Head frames. Fill it up almost to the top and microwave til it's almost boiling. Then submerge the bare handle in the hot water container after you've removed the grip and butt cap. After about a minute or two, you can take it out and use a small flat screwdriver to easily pry the pallets off. If the water is hot enough and the whole handle is submerged, the pallet should come off really easily without making you feel like the pallet would break. Also, don't worry about the water making the double sided tape between the hairpin and pallet unusable again. Just shake off any excess water after the pallets are off and the tape will stick fine again. No need for additional glue or for the new pallets. Trim your new extra long pallets after they're on, to match the length of your hairpin. They're quite soft, so just a couple scores with a knife should do it. Staple and/or use 2 part epoxy to secure the new 1/8 butt cap straight on. Wait til it dries before putting your grip back on.

No, no, no don't change the pallets like the Youtube video! That guy is trying to lop off a finger or two with that heat gun/hair dryer and knife dealio!

Much more even heat and effectiveness can be applied using hot water. Take a deep cup or container that can submerge most, if not all, the handle of your racquet. The Prestige handles are actually much shorter than the other Head frames. Fill it up almost to the top and microwave til it's almost boiling. Then submerge the bare handle in the hot water container after you've removed the grip and butt cap. After about a minute or two, you can take it out and use a small flat screwdriver to easily pry the pallets off. If the water is hot enough and the whole handle is submerged, the pallet should come off really easily without making you feel like the pallet would break. Also, don't worry about the water making the double sided tape between the hairpin and pallet unusable again. Just shake off any excess water after the pallets are off and the tape will stick fine again. No need for additional glue or for the new pallets. Trim your new extra long pallets after they're on, to match the length of your hairpin. They're quite soft, so just a couple scores with a knife should do it. Staple and/or use 2 part epoxy to secure the new 1/8 butt cap straight on. Wait til it dries before putting your grip back on.

Click to expand...

What would you recommend -- epoxy or staple? Yeah, thanks for the tip with the hot water...I did kinda get a lil' nervous about that guy lopping off a finger with that knife! UGHHHH.

Epoxy works fine and is really inexpensive. A good staple gun is much more costly. Unless you were planning to do other home improvement jobs with a staple gun, it's really not worth it to use staples. Plus, the regular 2 part epoxy like Loctite, etc. (not sure JB Weld though) can actually be chipped/peeled away if you ever find you wanted to remove the butt cap or pallet again. So, it's not as permanent as you think it is.

Also, using that method it's not just losing a finger. The heat gun/hair dryer way doesn't apply the heat that evenly, so a lot of times, the user will try to pry the pallets off and it doesn't want to come off in a particular area. They force it a bit more and then the pallet breaks and then it'll be harder to reuse it and you definitely can't resell it.

In other news...the fascination with Yonex continues...V-core 98 and 100 demos ordered, but since they are the hottest demos in town, probably won't be here until the end of the month. I may have to convince some friends who have them to share until then!

prob 10+hrs with all the stops we make in between. . i'd be okay with flying as well but i figured more peeps this way. not to mention we'd need a car once we land if by air.

Click to expand...

It's a long tournament. Over 2 weekends. I'm not sure if the first weekend is just qualifiers, while the seeds play mid to early the next week.

August 5-August 14. I say we go for the semis and finals (second weekend 13-14). Tickets are already on sale and unfortunately the french website is only available for web purchase. Otherwise you have to call 1.855.Tennis.o.

It would be a fun trip. But unless we commit, I'm not going to Montreal on my own. That town is almost as notorious as Vegas is to a gambler. Must walk with a buddy.

Sup - Caps in the playoffs again except I have no drinking buddy to go to or watch the games with.

Rio enjoys watching the games but she's not much of a drinker**.

**Every time the goalie touches the puck, take a drink.

Click to expand...

I went to the last Panthers vs Caps game.. knowing full well that the Caps didn't need to win, since they clinched the east and couldn't improve for the President's cup. Painful to watch and listen to the panthers fans. I had to remind them why they won and there were plenty of caps fans to back me up.

How about a suggestion for Wed night?

Do you skype? Skype while watching the game and we can drink every time the goalie touches the puck, drink whatever you have in the cup if they score, and double if they the other team scores.

If they make it to the east coast championship round, I'll come back to DC for a game.

Until then, what do you say? All others are invited to skype as well. Just send me an email to sup2dresq@aol.com. I'll send you a pizza JRK if you host peeps.

P.S. Do the Caps cheerleaders live in your condo complex as well? Rio must be a magnet.

I'm so clueless when it comes to the technical stuff about a racket. I've been playing with the same stick and strings for several years now. I actually have tried to venture away (was in the TT racket test..don't know how/why I was chosen and did some other strings)...but I tend to gravitate back to what I know.

In fact, dubs partner and I...when we are unsure of how to play someone/some point...we'll say...go with what you know. And we laugh. And usually win the dam [sic] point.

I'm so clueless when it comes to the technical stuff about a racket. I've been playing with the same stick and strings for several years now. I actually have tried to venture away (was in the TT racket test..don't know how/why I was chosen and did some other strings)...but I tend to gravitate back to what I know.

In fact, dubs partner and I...when we are unsure of how to play someone/some point...we'll say...go with what you know. And we laugh. And usually win the dam [sic] point.

Click to expand...

It's all good. We're all different in our ways. Some are more racquet and string junkies than others...

I'm definitely closer to the other end of the spectrum compared to you. Some of us talk so much of this or that, if we didn't abbreviate or make acronyms out of it, it'd be so long and tedious.

Oh, I do. Enjoy it, that is. It's my one "break." I can't tell you how much I look forward to my time on court.

And realistically, I know I'll never be all that. I mean, c'mon, at 5'7", 105lbs soakin' wet...I'll never be much of a physical force. And at 45, I'm all too cognizant about what will happen to me as I age. I just really get a kick out of the folks on the forum. Young or old. They have a passion. I happen to think that's in a little short supply these days for a lot of people about a lot of things.

I wouldn't say I'm much of a string junkie, but I'm definitely a racquet junkie..at least with the type of racquet I like. Has to be on the heavier side, and I prefer a tighter string tension rather than a looser one because I like feeling like I have more control of where the ball goes. As for types of strings, I'm a fan of the Hurricane Pro Tour..I like strings which generate spin.

Oh, I do. Enjoy it, that is. It's my one "break." I can't tell you how much I look forward to my time on court.

And realistically, I know I'll never be all that. I mean, c'mon, at 5'7", 105lbs soakin' wet...I'll never be much of a physical force. And at 45, I'm all too cognizant about what will happen to me as I age. I just really get a kick out of the folks on the forum. Young or old. They have a passion. I happen to think that's in a little short supply these days for a lot of people about a lot of things.

I wouldn't say I'm much of a string junkie, but I'm definitely a racquet junkie..at least with the type of racquet I like. Has to be on the heavier side, and I prefer a tighter string tension rather than a looser one because I like feeling like I have more control of where the ball goes. As for types of strings, I'm a fan of the Hurricane Pro Tour..I like strings which generate spin.

Click to expand...

I would be a huge racket junkie if I didnt find my 325's. I demoed a good number of frames though and noticed as the heavier and flexier the frames got the lower the tension on my strings went.

You may notice that the same tension Hurricane in the Prestige Pros will not afford you the same power. I know at first when I went from fischer Pro No. 1 XL to my Tfight 325's I was hitting alot more short balls as usual and my kick serves were not as deep in the box. I started hitting out a bit more which actually helped me feel like I had better control of the groundstrokes and more acuracy of the serves. Then I lowered the tension by 5 lbs from 60 to 55 with a full bed of Alu Power and got even more spin and feel than at 60.

So at first with the Prestige pros dont get discouraged if the power is not there. By design the frame is not as powerful as your Bab.

I would be a huge racket junkie if I didnt find my 325's. I demoed a good number of frames though and noticed as the heavier and flexier the frames got the lower the tension on my strings went.

You may notice that the same tension Hurricane in the Prestige Pros will not afford you the same power. I know at first when I went from fischer Pro No. 1 XL to my Tfight 325's I was hitting alot more short balls as usual and my kick serves were not as deep in the box. I started hitting out a bit more which actually helped me feel like I had better control of the groundstrokes and more acuracy of the serves. Then I lowered the tension by 5 lbs from 60 to 55 with a full bed of Alu Power and got even more spin and feel than at 60.

So at first with the Prestige pros dont get discouraged if the power is not there. By design the frame is not as powerful as your Bab.

Click to expand...

You're the second person who told me that! (the first being the guy at my favorite local tennis retailer known as hb) I strung my Prestige Pro at 57, which is a bit of a step down from 60 on my Babs...I'll play around with it, but I really haven't had an opportunity to get a true feel for the Prestige Pro because the grip just doesn't feel right. Once the grips come in and I become a master at customizing racquets (ha!) I'll let you know what I end up with on the Prestige.

I'm taking another lesson on Friday...I feel like there's just some tweaking I want to do in terms of form...plus, I truly enjoy hitting sessions with a pro.